Hashem tells the Jewish people he will cure / prevent any of the ills of Egypt to befall them. The Rambam notes that the best doctor not only heals the sick but more importantly – keeps the healthy to stay healthy – preventive medicine. R’ Matisyahu Solomon notes – Hashem sends the cure and the doctor ‘helps” – not the other way around.

Why did 4/5th’s of the Jews never leave Egypt? Surely had you known your neighbor was not interested in leaving you would have tried to convince them. The answer is they didn’t know. Everyone pretended and said -sure let’s leave. Only Hashem knew what was in their hearts. So to when Moshiach comes. Only those who truly desire his arrival will be saved. Everyone else will be lost.

The Jews asked the Egyptians for gold and silver, pots and pans and they were given gladly. Why the change of heart? The Neziv answers that during the plague of Darkness the Egyptians could not move. The Jews went in and fed them and gave them water. For a brief momemt afterwards the Egyptians had a complete change of heart and were filled with “Hakoras HaTov”

In this week’s Parsha we are given our first mitzvah as a nation. The mitzvah of Kiddush Levana. Why is this necessary? Why can we not rely on the calendar that Hillel established that seems to work just fine? The answer is that time is viewed as nature. A natural occurance. Hashem wanted time to be controlled by Klal Yisroel. Things don’t just happen. We are not victims of pot luck. We actually control the calendar and yearly events.

Hashem told Avrohom directly to bring his son, Yitzchok, up as a sacrifice. The angel told him not to. The Brisker Rav notes that to sacrifice another Jew one needs direction directly from Hashem. To save another Jew even an angel is good enough to give you the message.

Avrohom did not want a string or a shoelace from the spoils of Sodom. Why? He took for Pharoh and Egypt? the short answer is that in Egypt he wanted to establish a precedent for the future nation of Israel. The spoils of Sodom had no long term future. They were to be destroyed together with the city of Sodom. Some say Avrohom was beginning to let the victory of battle go to his head. He believed he “earned” the spoils of war fogetting that it was all from Hashem. When he realized this he elected to take nothing from Sodom.

The angel asked Hagar two questions – where was she coming from and where was she going. Hagar only answered the first question. Why not the second? The answer is someone who is running away doesn’t always know where they are going. They just know what or from where they are running from. This is what Hagar answered.

The Torah tells us to have nothing to do with Amon and Moav. We learn this lesson even more from the experiences of Dovid HaMelech. He befriended both and was betrayed by both. Moav executed his entire family whom he he sent there for protection. The Torah words rang true.

When the Malbim became the Rabbi in Bucharest he said that a rabbi is like the Kohein of old. As such I require the “Zeroa” (arm) the “Lechochayim” (cheek) and the “Kaiva” (stomach). He then explained – the arms to put on tefilin and to attend minyan. The cheeks so as not to speak Loshon Hora and too look Jewish (saving etc.) and your stomachs – what I say is kosher, is kosher and nothing else. The true job of a community Rabbi.